"What do you mean, miss?"
I pushed away the woman's hands in front of me. She smiled with a fox-like allure, her sheer veil fluttering in the wind, and her long white hair trailing behind her heels gently trembled.
There was a haze in the woman's eyes, tinged with a hint of sorrow. Petals of peach blossom drifted past, and for a moment I felt awkward and unsure, but no matter what, this woman before me was a stranger.
"Though much is missing from you, the aura your body carries—just a trace of it—is longing. Longing for this woman."
I stared at her in confusion, as the woman pressed one hand to her chest.
"Come closer. Don't you want to recover some memories? Perhaps this longing could help you restore yourself completely."
I don't know why, but my feet began to move. Step by step, I walked slowly toward the woman exuding an enchanting fox-like aura.
A pair of gentle arms wrapped around my shoulders. A delicate fragrance filled my nose, and I felt an oddly familiar sensation, yet I couldn't recall anything. The harder I tried, the more my mind felt blank.
Everything before me felt like a dream. Hands softly caressed my back, and gradually my consciousness began to blur. After a faint laugh, I lost awareness entirely.
A whistling sound rang out. In an instant, my eyes snapped open—the woman's appearance started to change. White fur sprouted from her body, and nine white tails shot toward me. Each tail's tip transformed into a fox head wreathed in flames. I quickly retreated, crouched low with my hands raised, blocking the attack from all nine tails.
"Nine-Tailed Fox!"
My eyes widened—the woman's appearance had completely changed. She now had a rare fox face; except for her bare face, her body was covered in thick white fur. The fur around her neck, like hair, floated gently.
"Didn't expect you to react so quickly, human."
I stared quietly at the Nine-Tailed Fox. Her nine tails retracted, swaying menacingly behind her.
"I'm just passing through, Miss Nine-Tailed Fox. I mean no harm. My friends will be here soon to pick me up, so..."
"It doesn't matter anymore."
The Nine-Tailed Fox covered her face and giggled, her laughter brimming with seductive fox-like charm.
"I just want to eat you, that's all."
With a whoosh, I suddenly moved into the air, but the Nine-Tailed Fox was already upside down above my head. Her nine tails lashed down like whips. I raised both hands and blocked them with a bang, but she giggled again and kicked me hard in the chest.
A burst of flames erupted with a roar. I immediately felt a sharp pain—my chest was scorched wide open, and my whole body plummeted toward the ground.
With a thunderous crash, I landed in a peach blossom grove. The ground warped instantly from the impact, sending trees flying and petals swirling wildly in the air. The Nine-Tailed Fox hovered above, licking her fingers, descending toward me step by step.
The scorched wound on my chest had already healed. I stood up, and my eyes began to change—one black, one white, each with a Yin-Yang Mark. White and black Eclipse Currents swirled around my body.
"Well, well, I didn't expect you to be this strong. But if this is all you've got..."
With another crash, I stared in shock as a tremendous pressure bore down on me. The Nine-Tailed Fox raised her left hand and struck with the back of it. I formed a fist with my right hand and punched back.
With a bang, a powerful force instantly tore my body apart. I raised my left hand behind me, trying to channel the energy out of my body.
"Let me tell you something good. What you're doing might work on others, but it won't work on me. Just accept your fate and let me eat you."
My eyes widened—I could no longer redirect the force. Wild, uncontrollable energy rampaged through my body. With a series of sharp cracks, I blocked several of the Nine-Tailed Fox's attacking tails with my left hand and was sent flying backward again.
I felt waves of tearing pain racing through my body. My skin split open, blood pouring out as I lay on the ground, gasping for breath. The Nine-Tailed Fox was terrifyingly strong.
This might be the toughest opponent I've faced since entering this Illusory Realm.
Just as I felt something shift beneath me, I rolled to the left and shot into the air. A burst of foxfire erupted from the ground, and a crimson flame fox raced toward me.
I didn't dare let my guard down. I traced a circle in the air, and instantly, black and white interwoven spaces appeared around me. With a wave of my hand, the foxfire before me twisted and began to spin, about to vanish.
"Interesting move."
I glanced left at the motionless Nine-Tailed Fox floating in the air. She didn't attack. A spark flashed past my eyes, and as I looked ahead, the twisted foxfire suddenly broke free of my control and lunged at me. Instantly, my body ignited, turning into a fireball plummeting through the air.
With a snap, the Nine-Tailed Fox grabbed my neck before I hit the ground. Several of her tails flared with red flames, and her eyes turned crimson.
"You must taste delicious, human."
I froze for a moment, then smiled slightly and said,
"My name is Ethan Zhang."
A burst of golden radiance flared across my skin. The Nine-Tailed Fox instantly shielded her eyes. I escaped, quickly widening the distance between us. But now, only the flame foxes charged at me, and my wounds had almost healed.
I stretched out both hands, grabbing to either side. With a thought, two massive Yin-Yang Marks appeared in the air. With a whistling sound, black-and-white Balance Blades shot out from the marks, spinning as the Yin-Yang symbols rotated.
Immediately, a piercing noise split the air. The swords instantly pierced all nine flaming foxes flying at me. The Nine-Tailed Fox looked surprised as a barrage of black-and-white blades flew at her. She began to drift and dodge in the air, reaching out to block sword after sword.
With a crash, I seized my chance and instantly appeared before the Nine-Tailed Fox, slamming a fist at her. My body, fused with black and white, began to turn gray.
"Dao Extremis..."
The Nine-Tailed Fox seemed to realize something. Her nine fluffy tails instantly wrapped around her. My fist struck the fur and didn't budge an inch. I stared wide-eyed as my power became two massive black-and-white beams, tearing open space on both sides, revealing a pitch-black world like the starry sky.
"You're not bad, but it's a pity..."
With a crash, I unleashed my strength. The Nine-Tailed Fox's nine tails snapped backward as my fist landed on her abdomen, sending her plummeting toward the ground. I followed closely, and with a thought, a black-and-white Balance Blade appeared in my hand.
The Nine-Tailed Fox grinned wickedly and suddenly stood up. Her hands became claws, and she crouched, transforming into a silver-glimmering fox. The world around us instantly turned to fire, waves of scorching heat rushing at me.
With a swoosh, her claws clashed with my sword, but neither could touch. Our powers collided, refusing to yield. Gradually, I felt myself being pushed back—if this kept up, I'd lose in an instant.
Blood-red Cycle Sigils crawled across my arm. In a flash, I halted my decline. The Nine-Tailed Fox's tails ignited with Spectral Azure Flame. With a whoosh, we collided and broke apart, landing separately. I crouched, coughing up blood, as the black-and-white sword in my hand shattered. Behind me, the Nine-Tailed Fox raised her arm, a gaping wound under her white fur pouring blood. She turned and stared at me wide-eyed.
Buddhist and Taoist powers clashed within my body as I struggled to regain control. The sensation was unbearable. I hadn't expected the Nine-Tailed Fox's last strike, and in an instant, the winner was decided. If this continued, she'd finish me off.
"Not bad, Ethan Zhang."
The Nine-Tailed Fox returned to her youthful womanly form, licking her arm with her hand.
I stood up, quietly watching the Nine-Tailed Fox as I pondered my next move. Dao power could polarize and merge in an instant—this opening and closing force could instantly dismantle an opponent's strength. But my Dao power had no real effect on her flames; instead, she shattered my technique in an instant.
Buddhist power is boundless, present everywhere and nowhere. So far, I haven't found an effective way to use it offensively against a powerful beast like her. At best, it can suppress her for a while, keeping me from losing too quickly.
"Alright, next comes a real fight, Ethan Zhang."
A blush of pink patterns appeared on the Nine-Tailed Fox's cheeks, and delicate lines bloomed like flowers at her brow. She crouched slightly, her nine tails rising.
It looks like I can't defeat her for now—I'll just have to keep fighting.